Typically, surgical procedures performed on a patient's eye require illuminating a portion of the eye so that a surgeon can properly observe the surgical site. Various different types of instruments are known and available for use by a surgeon to illuminate the interior of the eye. For example, a typical ophthalmic illuminator includes a handheld (probe) portion comprising a handle having a projecting tip and a length of optical fiber that enters a proximal end of the handle and passes through the handle and the tip to a distal end of the tip, from which light traveling along the optical fiber can project. The proximal end of the optical fiber can be positioned adjacent to a light source, such as in a high brightness illuminator, as known to those having skill in the art, to receive the light that is transmitted through the fiber. This type of handheld illuminator is typically used by inserting the probe tip through a small incision in the eye. In this way, light from the illumination light source is carried along the optical fiber, through the handpiece and emitted from the distal end of the probe to illuminate the surgical site for the surgeon. Ophthalmic illuminators that use a length of optical fiber to carry and direct light from a light source to a surgical site are well known in the art.
A common trait among surgical fiber-optic ophthalmic illuminators is that the handheld portion is connected to the light source by means of a fiber-optic connector, typically comprising an adaptor designed to be received in a socket operably adjacent to the light source in an enclosure housing the light source. However, connecting these prior art fiber-optic illuminators to the light source has involved some difficulties. Note that for purposes of the description contained herein, the terms “probe” and “fiber-optic illuminator” generally refer to the handheld portion of a typical ophthalmic illumination system, such a system typically comprising the handheld portion, to direct illumination from a light source housed in an enclosure, and the enclosure, which typically houses the light source and associated optics that guide light from the light source to the optical fiber of the probe, a power supply, electronics for signal processing, and associated connectors, displays and other interfaces, as known in the art.
Currently, fiber-optic illuminators and illumination sources are connected to one another via fiber-optic connectors that are typically difficult to operate, provide no indication of a proper connection between the optical fiber and the illumination source and cannot differentiate between different non-encoded optical fibers. For example, some currently existing illumination systems require an operator to manually deactivate a fiber-optic connection port when disconnecting the fiber-optic illuminator from the light source. These systems also typically do not provide a safeguard against either inadvertent operation of the light source without an illuminator connected or inadvertent disconnection of a fiber-optic illuminator from the light source when in operation. Either of these conditions can result in projecting an intense beam of light from the light source into, for example, an operating room, which can startle, distract or annoy the surgeon and staff during a surgery. Currently existing systems can thus easily cause potentially harmful disturbances during a surgical procedure.
Further, existing fiber-optic ophthalmic illuminator systems, although capable of detecting the presence of an optical fiber, cannot distinguish between different types of optical fibers unless the optical fiber connectors are specially encoded. In other words, prior art fiber-optic illuminator systems are capable of detecting the presence of a particular type of optical fiber connected to the illumination source enclosure, but they require encoding (e.g., an electrically encoded strip or a laser bar code) of the optical fiber connectors in order to do so. Other fiber-optic illumination systems can detect the presence of an optical fiber via micro switches, but provide no recognition capability.
Prior art optical illuminators are also typically connected to a light source via simple locking mechanisms, which can be unwieldy to operate and require a user to touch un-sterile parts of the ophthalmic illuminator system during a surgical procedure when doing so. For example, the Bausch & Lomb Millennium™ system comprises a swinging shutter at the fiber-optic connection port. The mechanical shutter has an axis of rotation above the connector. To connect an optical probe, the user must swing the shutter away to open the connector clearance hole and then insert the fiber connector of the fiber-optic illuminator. When the optical probe is removed, the shutter swings down by gravity and closes the connector hole. The disadvantage of such a shutter is that a user will normally need to use both hands to connect the optical probe and will touch the un-sterile swinging shutter.
Therefore, a need exists for an optical fiber detection method and system that provide for optical fiber detection, for optical fiber recognition without encoding of the fiber connector and for sterile connection of an optical illuminator to a light source.